Eric Bordelet Sydre Nouvelle Vague / NV / 330mL

Description:

Eric Bordelet Sydre Nouvelle Vague NV is a lightly sparkling French cider from Normandy, made in a fresher, more immediate style than the bottlings that usually carry the Bordelet name. In a 330mL bottle it lands somewhere between dry and off-dry, apple-driven and low in alcohol, and it is built for drinking cold rather than contemplating.

Aromas run to crushed orchard apple, bruised pear skin and a touch of lemon peel, with the faint bready note that comes with a natural fizz. The palate is gently sweet on entry before drying out, carrying baked apple, quince and a whisper of bitter apple skin from fruit grown on the estate's younger biodynamic trees, with less maceration than Bordelet's more serious cuvées.

Fine, persistent bubbles do most of the structural work here, with a tart, cidery acidity keeping things brisk and a light tannic grip on the close. The finish is clean and short in the best sense, leaving apple and a saline flick rather than sugar.

Serve well chilled with roast pork and crackling, a plate of raclette or washed-rind cheese, salt-and-pepper squid, or Sunday morning buckwheat pancakes. It also works as an aperitif for people who find sparkling wine too austere.

The 330mL format suits one person having a glass and a half with dinner, or two people wanting a small aperitif without opening something larger. Drink it now and over the next year or so — a half bottle moves faster than a full one, and freshness is the whole point of this cider.